Finding Time to Write

We may wake up with the best intentions to write a novel.  We may think the night before "I’ll get to it as soon as I get out of bed" - - then morning comes.  Our best intentions get sidelined by other things.  These distractions can make our productivity almost non-existent.  So what can we do to get motivated and stay in control of our writing time.

It is important to be organized.  If we can prepare a to-do list and consider what is important and what is urgent.  If we have some appointments that cannot be adjusted then make sure you have allotted time for writing.  Maybe that means getting an early start in the morning while the juices are flowing and we may be more motivated.  Rather than at the end of our day when we are too tired to think.  So as we are making this to-do list take time to reason on what is essential to accomplish our goals.  We may need to discard those nonessential tasks that are consuming too much time.  With that comes being able to say no.  If we really want to write and fulfill a goal of so many words or chapters in a day we cannot be pulled in different directions. Too many other activities can rob you of precious time and energy.  So set priorities and this will help us get organized to write some literature.

Now when we went to bed we were all gung-ho to write, now the morning brings an ugly side.  We start to be indecisive and procrastinate.  When we procrastinate our task of writing we are robbing our time and productivity.  We can get so distracted by "what ifs" and over-analyzing our story that we don’t write a single word all day.  The thinking process is great to get our ideas in focus but if we don’t write then those are ideas are wasted time.  So get writing and once you do you will be more optimistic when you see the results of the many pages of fiction you will have written.

If we set realistic goals when we start our day, our week, or even our month then it will be much easier to attain them.  When we don’t we can feel overwhelmed and disappointed in ourselves for not accomplishing all we set out to do.  If we have other commitments then we may not be able to write a novel in two weeks.  We should be content with what we can accomplish and satisfied with the results.

It can be hard to focus on writing a great science fiction novel when we are surrounded each day by reality.  Or to write romance fiction when we live alone.  We need to have our "escape time" so we can live in our imaginary world of fiction.  Just like others read novels to escape, writers need to escape to write them.  Take some time to read also.  Read online books, popular books, or free fiction online.  It can be an easy way to escape for a moment and get into the writing mood.

After we take the time to consider our goals and what is truly important for us to succeed as a writer this should give us the end result of realizing what our time is worth.  Consider how much time we have in the day and take a hard look at what is important to get us to start writing.  We can omit the non-essentials that are ultimately time wasters and focus on writing.  We will be happy we did.